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Reply With QuoteWhen pushing the cranks from the front of the boat, do you guys use the trolling motor up front, or use the big motor in the back? this may be a stupid question, but im new to the cranking game.
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When I pull cranks I'll push one crank and pull three off of each side of the boat. I'm normally fishing flats in 10 to 15 feet of water. On my push poles I'll reset my line counter with the weight at the surface, then let out around 10 ft of line. That's got my crankbait running about 7 ft deep. Figure that your weight will be running at a depth which is 2/3 of the amount of line let out. Then add a ft for your crankbait. The ratio of fish caught on my push poles is as good as the lines behind the boat.
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When pushing the cranks from the front of the boat, do you guys use the trolling motor up front, or use the big motor in the back? this may be a stupid question, but im new to the cranking game.
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trolling motor
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I pull with the auxollary 6 hp motor on the back and steer wwith the Minn Kota Terrova up front. Sset the speed with the 6 hp and steer with Terrova on 2 or 3 remotely.
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Awesome! Can I use the same 4 pole trolling pods that I have for spider rigging? And Bandit 300's for crankbaits?
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I have used both 300s, 200s, and 100s. In my head the 100's will work better because they have less drag and don't get down as far below the weight. Run em off the side of the boat instead of out front where when I get a fish it doesn't come back into the tm
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So I need to buy bandit 100's. Have a 3oz weight carolina style rig with swivel below the weight. 24 in leader. Poles turned to the side to avoid the trolling motor. 1.5-2mph speed. I think I got it! What happens if I get hung up? Is the bait just gone? Easier to break it than pull in the other rods? I have 14ft trolling rods for spider rigging, can I use those same poles? Or do I need to buy actual trolling poles?
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Some folks like to just have 300s to pull and push, but all depends on lake depth and time of year/how deep fish are holding. Some folks use all 12' or 14' rods, some use staggered rods, some push directly off the front, some like me off the side. All a matter of personal preference. I fish water a lot shallower than most, so some things work better. I like fiberglass poles with the heavy weights, the pst's work well also. Just need good backbone to em. If ya get hung break it off or circle back to pull it off since tangles aren't as common with this message. But be warned, if one pole is hung and you turn around, almost certainly another pole will get hung.
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What they said! Good info.
Crappie.com 1K Star General
Nice thing about pushing, is you can use any style/shape crankbait, just as long as it runs true at the speed that you troll. Sometimes little ones work great, sometimes stickbaits work good too, or flatside, or.... just play around with it. I am using surf casting rods, when snag I can lift up quickly to rip the bait off the bottom. Otherwise I do break them off, too much trouble IMO to circle back (because I am also pulling at the same time, if I were just pushing then it would be a non-issue).
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